HOUSING MINISTER WELCOMES LIGHTING OF PLAY PARK AT LISAS GARDENS, COUVA

On Thursday (Feb 07, 2019) evening, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Honourable Major General (Retired) Edmund Dillon journeyed to Lisas Gardens, Couva for the official opening of the Lisas Gardens Play Park and the Commissioning of Lights at that venue.

Built in the 1980s, Lisas Gardens is considered to be one of the oldest communities within the Housing Development Corporation (HDC)’s housing portfolio. It is also home to over a thousand families. The Play Park which is located at Parrot Avenue, Lisas Boulevard West, is a stone’s throw from the HDC’s commercial Village Plaza, and as such is the hub of family and community based activities.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and its agency the Housing Development Corporation are not only responsible for the provision of affordable housing units to deserving families but also ensures there are commercial and recreational facilities to promote sustainable development of its housing communities , and Lisas Gardens is no exception.

For this Commissioning Ceremony at the Lisas Gardens Play Park, the Minister was joined by his other Cabinet colleagues the Minister of Public Utilities, Senator the Honourable Robert Le Hunte and Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development, Senator the Honourable Jennifer Baptiste-Primus. Also present was Senator Foster Cummings, Member of Parliament for Couva,

Mr. Rudranath Indarsingh, Chairman and Councillors of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, officials from the Housing Development Corporation and the Trinidad & Tobago Electricity Commission for this Commissioning Ceremony at the Lisas Gardens Play Park.

To say the residents were delighted with the recent upgrades at the Play Park is an understatement, as both young and old came out in their numbers to show their appreciation for the re-commissioning of the Play Park and the installation of lights at their recreation ground. The Commissioning of the lights was carried out by the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission as part of its Public Lighting Programme. The lighting of the Lisas Boulevard Play Park was the Commission’s first project for 2019.

In his address Minister Dillon regaled the audience with stories of his own boyhood days when things were so different and one had to rely on one’s own ingenuity or that of your friends to come up with make-shift playground contraptions. He recalled he and his friends creating a see saw with a barrel and plank of wood which provided them with many hours of enjoyment.

Minister Dillon went on to tell those gathered that it took the collaborative effort of the Housing Development Corporation, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and the executive of the Lisas Gardens Community Council to bring about the upgrades and the installation of lights at the Play Park. Residents now have the added benefit of enjoying many more hours of recreational time with their children, older family members and their neighbours in a safe and secure space. This intervention should go a long way in enhancing the communal spirit and getting other things done for the benefit of the community.